Youth Ambassadors

Youth Ambassadors for Social Action (YASA) involves young people coming together in their community to improve their own lives and the lives of others by addressing local issues that link culture and ecology. The aim is to give young people an opportunity to connect with their community's past, make a positive contribution to resolve current issues and help secure the wellbeing of future generations. They need a voice, feel valued and listened to in order to increase resilience, confidence and self esteem, with an aspiration to reduce isolation. These needs and apirations are particularly important in rural areas, where young people may have less opportunities to engage with their community. This may be due to a lack of resources, family structure, low income, rural isolation, culture challenges or even prejudice. Social action for young people to engage with the place where they live can be achieved through activities such as volunteering, fundraising, community action or just simple random acts of kindness.

Nowadays we witness a wide array of citizens’ initiatives developing sustainable practices and building the capacities to transform their place according to their ideas, needs and demands. YASA is a union of SCAN, the schools and communities Agenda 21 project, with the concept of place ambassadors (SUSPLACE) where central attention is paid to cultural and social dimensofions of sustainability to create. better places to live and visit. In this connection the recording of cultural heritage can provide an automatic sense of unity and belonging within a group, creating a better understanding of previous generations and the history of where we come from. Understanding their community's cultural heritage to present to others can give young people a sense of personal identity and belonging.

https://www.networkhomes.org.uk/get-involved/community-ambassador/

https://gardeninggonewild.com/gardening-for-the-future-why-responsible-beauty-matters/